[27/02/2010]He treats son like a good friend

[27/02/2010]The Electric New Paper

SHOULD his claims of being best buddies with his son be true, Joe Ma could very well seal his reputation as every teenage boy's dream dad.

The tanned Hong Kong TV actor, 41, who was in town on Wednesday for a private StarHub Cable TV event, talked to The New Paper candidly about his relationship with his 12-year-old son, Zaixiang.

'I've treated him like a good friend since he was a boy,' said Joe with a laugh.

'We can talk about everything under the sun.'

Joe had nothing but praise for Zaixiang, whom he said was 'very mature for his age'.

He said: 'It's partly due to the fact that my wife and I chose to enrol him in an international school.

'The environment is quite liberal there.'

Strictly an act

Indeed, he seemed to prefer a laissez-faire approach when communicating with Zaixiang, who will begin his secondary education next year.

It also helps that Zaixiang understands his dad's profession and doesn't bat an eyelid watching Joe do romantic scenes.

Said Joe: 'He is a huge fan of movies, so he knows that what he sees on screen is strictly an act.'

A police officer and model before he carved out a career in TV, Joe will next be seen in the new 41-episode drama series, Born Rich.

The show, also starring veteran actors Anita Yuen, Roy Lui and Gallen Lo, will debut on StarHub Demand TV on 15 Mar.

Working with two-time Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actress Anita, 38, proved to be a 'truly enjoyable' experience for him.

'Anita is an extremely smart lady,' he remarked.

'Filming with her went so smoothly, we hardly had any bad takes.'

Trouble

But the good chemistry between them didn't exactly manifest itself in the beginning.

Said Joe: 'She later admitted to me that she did not like me initially.'

Her impression of him as 'someone who brought trouble with him wherever he went' was formed from the Hong Kong paparazzi's reports of him.

A few years back, Joe was a scandal-ridden celeb, his life plagued with speculation of extra-marital affairs with fellow TV actresses Sonija Kwok and Charmaine Sheh.

He has denied all the rumours.

He said: 'It was only after we got to know each other well that Anita realised I was actually very humorous.

'We started cracking jokes to each other and had great fun on set.'
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She's paired with older man again

SHE might not come out tops among Hong Kong's A-list TV actresses, but 28-year-old Nancy Wu can boast of one unique achievement - scoring a string of onscreen May-December romances.

Over the last few years, the doe-eyed actress has starred alongside several of Hong Kong's most revered veteran actors.

They include 46-year-old Derek Kwok, whom she is paired with in the detective comedy series, D.I.E Again, as well as 64-year-old Paul Chun - she played his sexy, alluring fourth mistress - in 2007's period drama The Silver Chamber Of Sorrows.

Fans of Nancy will be able to catch D.I.E Again on VVDrama (StarHub Ch 55) later this year.

During an interview with The New Paper while in town with actor Joe Ma for the same StarHub event, Nancy revealed that this 'trend' of pairing her up with older men hasn't stopped since.

'I'm going to be in a new drama series with senior Yue Hua. He plays a triad boss and I am the materialistic girl who latches onto him,' she said with a grin.

Yue Hua (also known as Elliot Yue), 67, was one of the Shaw brothers' most popular leading men in the '60s and '70s.

He now takes on important fatherly roles in the TV productions of Hong Kong's top broadcaster TVB.

Though Nancy says she is 'mentally prepared for scenes of slight intimacy', she hopes there isn't any kissing involved, or worse, a bed scene.

'Oh my, I don't think (Yue Hua's) wife would like seeing him in bed with me!' she exclaimed.

However, Nancy - who denies dating TVB actor Kenneth Ma, 36 - professes that she finds middle-aged men 'the most charismatic'.

'Having worked with a few mature actors, I realise that it is when they've hit their 40s that men start to really show their suave, manly side.'